Malahide and Howth- Day 10

Today we did our own thing. We got an early start and walked to the DART station. A quick ride to Malahide.


A cute village that has a castle. The estate began in 1185 when Richard Talbot was given the land by Henry II. It became the home of the Talbots for 791- until 1976. The Castle and grounds sits on 260 acres. It has beautifully landscaped gardens, a walled formal garden, a butterfly garden. The Talbots mascot was a lion and many of the furnishings have lions carved on them and there are lion decorations everywhere. We took the tour inside, then went to the butterfly garden and walled garden befor eating lunch at the outdoor cafe.




Onward to Howth. Back on the DART for a quick ride to the coastal village. Vikings first invaded Howth in 819 AD. When we arrived, the harbor was filled with fishing boats. I wish we would have known about this the day before because we would have purchased fresh seafood from one of the many markets. It was fun to stroll along the water, see the lighthouse and watch seagulls and seals eating scraps thrown from the fishing boats.





Once back in Dublin, we walked down Grafton street- a pedestrian mall area with lots of shops and then over to St. Stephens Park. The Central Park of Dublin. We saw a pair of human statues that were amazing.

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